Phew. That’s it from me on another dramatic day in the Premier League. The day’s big winners were West Ham, who scored three goals in the final 12 minutes to empathically end their Everton hoodoo. They kept on the heels of Manchester City, who eased past Aston Villa, while Chelsea and Stoke played out a draw.
At the bottom, Swansea and Bournemouth earned big wins to leave the relegation contenders in a three-horse race for 17th – but Newcastle and Norwich have Southampton’s late equaliser against Sunderland to thank that their prospects aren’t even bleaker.
The football doesn’t end there. Far from it. Join Rob Smyth for Watford v Leicester, and/or Ben Fisher for Dortmund v Bayern, both of which are kicking off now. Thanks for joining me. Bye!
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More match reports
Starting at Newcastle, where Bournemouth all but secured safety, and left their hosts on the precipice:
At Stamford Bridge, Stoke earned a deserved draw through Mame Biram Diouf’s late leveller:
And at Goodison Park, West Ham turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win with a dramatic late fightback:
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Match reports
The first of our peerless Guardian on-the-whistle reports have landed. Paul Wilson saw Manchester City chug through the gears against Aston Villa:
There was late drama aplenty as Southampton drew 1-1 with Sunderland:
And Swansea earned back-to-back wins to ease their relegation fears:
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That’s a damning statistic, but PSG are finding goals hard to come by today – it remains 0-0 against Montpellier, in a game where Cavani, di Maria and Lucas have all started.
Dundee United are through to the Scottish Cup semi-finals after Billy McKay’s late winner at Ross County. The Premiership’s bottom side are joined by the Championship’s top side, Rangers, who beat Dundee 4-0 early on. A pretty good day for Simon McMahon, then.
In League One, leaders Burton were held by struggling Crewe, but Wigan couldn’t close the gap, drawing 1-1 with Peterborough. Barnsley and Millwall climbed the table, the Tykes winning 3-1 at Walsall, and Millwall beating Blackpool 3-0. Rochdale won 1-0 at Coventry, and Shrewsbury got a vital win, beating Doncaster by the same score.
In League Two, Northampton extended their lead at the top with a 4-1 win at Carlisle, as Plymouth and Oxford drew 2-2 at Home Park. At the bottom, Dagenham & Redbridge won at home for the first time this season, beating York, but Yeovil and Hartlepool also grabbed important victories, at Mansfield and Barnet respectively.
All today’s results are here.
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Championship results
A late second goal has made it MK Dons 2-0 QPR, on a good day for the Championship’s struggling sides: Rotherham have shocked Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, and Charlton have prevailed 2-1 at Brentford.
Brentford 1-2 Charlton
Derby 2-0 Huddersfield
Ipswich 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Leeds 2-1 Bolton
MK Dons 2-0 QPR
Preston 0-0 Brighton
Reading 2-2 Fulham
Sheffield Weds 0-1 Rotherham
Premier League results
Chelsea 1-1 Stoke City
Everton 2-3 West Ham
Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa
Newcastle 1-3 Bournemouth
Southampton 1-1 Sunderland
Swansea 1-0 Norwich
Full time: Real Madrid 7-1 Celta Vigo
Ronaldo bags four goals, with Pepe, Jese and Gareth Bale also on target as Real Madrid get back on track with a crushing victory.
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GOAL! Southampton 1-1 Sunderland (van Dijk)
Pain for Sunderland, hope for Norwich and Newcastle, as ten-man Southampton equalise at the death! Virgil van Dijk is the scorer, firing home from Dusan Tadic’s pass.
GOAL! Everton 2-3 West Ham (Payet)
Wow. West Ham were 2-0 down on 78 minutes – and now they lead through Dimitri Payet! It’s yet another Everton meltdown, perhaps the worst to date, but the Hammers are very much in the Champions League race.
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GOAL! Newcastle 1-3 Bournemouth (Daniels)
Game over at a rapidly emptying St. James’ Park, as Charlie Daniels races away on the break to seal victory for Bournemouth.
Norwich are pushing forward in a desperate search for an equaliser, but Nathan Redmond’s shot is blocked, and his second effort trickles wide. The pressure is also on Sunderland, with Mannone denying Southampton’s Martina. Peterborough have equalised in short order at Wigan, and Rochdale have taken a late lead at Coventry.
One ground where there hasn’t been goals is the Parc du Princes, where PSG v Montpellier is still goalless, with half time approaching.
In League One, Burton are level with Crewe, with second-placed Wigan taking the lead over Peterborough. In League Two, Dagenham are on course for a first home win of the season against York. They lead 1-0, and have given themselves a chance of Football League survival. At the other end of the table, it’s Plymouth 2-2 Oxford.
GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Sunderland (Defoe)
Goals, goals, goals. Sunderland make the breakthrough a few minutes after José Fonte’s red card, Jermain Defoe fires home from Lamine Kone’s pass. That’s a huge goal for Sunderland.
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GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Stoke (Diouf)
Chelsea can’t hang on at Stamford Bridge, as Shaqiri’s cross bounces and bobbles its way to Diouf, who nods the ball home!
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GOAL! Everton 2-2 West Ham (Sakho)
Oh Everton! After Lukaku missed a penalty to make it 3-0, West Ham have levelled. It’s another free header, with Diafra Sakho, back from injury, the scorer this time.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 7-1 Celta Vigo (Bale)
Substitute Gareth Bale gets in on the act, as Real Madrid run riot against Celta. It was 0-0 until 40 minutes in...
GOAL! Everton 2-1 West Ham (Antonio)
Hope too for West Ham, as Michail Antonio continues his scoring run, putting the visitors back in the game from a free header.
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GOAL! Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth (Pérez)
Shelvey finds Ayoze Pérez with a lovely through ball, and the Spanish striker gives the hosts a glimmer of hope.
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Red card! José Fonte sent off for Southampton!
Fonte is given his marching orders after hauling down Fabio Borini, who was through on goal. Can Sunderland take advantage?
GOAL! Real Madrid 6-1 Celta Vigo (Jese)
Or not, as Jese races forward, essentially straight from the kick-off, cuts across the six-yard box, and slots the ball inside the near post. That’s a great goal, and Celta are set for another 6-1 shoeing, at the very least.
GOAL! Real Madrid 5-1 Celta Vigo (Ronaldo)
Getting a bit boring now. A fourth second-half goal for Ronaldo, heading home to complete Celta’s misery...
“Dundee United equalise at Ross County, then concede a penalty to find themselves behind again, and a man down. Following them is certainly a labour of love” sighs Simon McMahon. United have since equalised, adding cruel hope into the mix.
Northampton are 4-1 up at Carlisle, Oxford still lead 2-1 at Plymouth, and in the Championship, Derby are on their way to a welcome win – they lead 2-0 at home to Huddersfield. It remains Preston 0-0 Brighton, while Bolton have pulled one back at Elland Road.
Bundesliga results
24 goals in the six games this afternoon, with Leverkusen fighting back from 3-0 down to draw at Augsburg, and Wolfsburg holding on for a big win over Gladbach.
Köln 1-3 Schalke
Augsburg 3-3 Leverkusen
Frankfurt 1-1 Ingolstadt
Stuttgart 5-1 Hoffenheim
Werder Bremen 4-1 Hannover
Wolfsburg 2-1 Gladbach
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Sergio Agüero, on a hat-trick, has ruined many a Fantasy Football weekend by missing a penalty. It remains Man City 4-0 Aston Villa.
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GOAL! Newcastle 0-2 Bournemouth (King)
Josh King smashes the ball into the roof of the net. Newcastle’s Premier League status, and Steve McClaren’s job, are hanging by a thread.
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Penalty to Everton... but it's saved!
Substitute Muhammed Besic is brought down by Alex Song on the edge of the area, and Lukaku steps up... but he stutters, and Adrián reads him, and saves!
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In the Championship, Ipswich lead Forest through Ben Pringle, while Fulham have levelled things at Reading. It’s 2-2 there, while at Elland Road, it’s 2-0, as Antenucci gets his second. In League One, it’s Walsall 1-3 Barnsley, Fleetwood 2-1 Sheffield United, and in a big game near the bottom, Doncaster 0-1 Shrewsbury.
GOAL! Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa (Sterling)
Bony is replaced by Sterling, who gets on the scoresheet within a couple of minutes, turning home after Villa try, and fail, to clear a cross from Navas.
GOAL! Real Madrid 4-1 Celta Vigo (Ronaldo)
Ronaldo crushes Celta’s glimmer of hope, turning home Danilo’s low cross to seal a second-half hat-trick.
GOAL! Swansea 1-0 Norwich (Sigurdsson)
A big goal in the relegation battle, as Gylfi Sigurdsson shows his customary composure to slot the ball into the bottom corner from Leroy Fer’s pass.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 3-1 Celta Vigo (Aspas)
Celta break, and Aspas races onto a through ball before lifting the ball smartly over Keylor Navas to give the visitors a glimmer of hope.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Aston Villa (Agüero)
Eek. Agüero has his second, and City have scored three in 15 minutes. Tim Hill has more.
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GOAL! Everton 2-0 West Ham (Lennon)
The ten men of Everton double their lead, as Aaron Lennon plays a one-two with Lukaku, set free on goal by the return pass, and slots the ball underneath Adrián. Everton’s incredible run against the Hammers looks set to continue.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 3-0 Celta Vigo (Ronaldo)
Ronaldo has taken this game by the scruff of the neck, and seals the win with a free kick from 25 yards out, left of the area, which he whips effortlessly inside the near post.
Newcastle’s changes are having little effect, with Bournemouth continuing to dominate. Max Gradel goes over in the box as the visitors have another faint penalty shout. It’s raining hard at St. Mary’s, with the game grinding and goalless. Big Sam can smell a 1-0 win here...
Southampton, 8-0 winners over Sunderland at St. Mary’s last term, are still looking for a breakthrough today, while Stoke are threatening Chelsea, Arnautovic forcing Courtois to punch from a powerful shot.
In the Championship, struggling MK Dons lead QPR 1-0 through captain Dean Lewington. In League One, Barnsley have retaken the lead at Walsall, thanks to Josh Brownhill.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-0 Celta Vigo (Ronaldo)
Cristiano Ronaldo doubles Real’s lead in fine style, barrelling forward and hitting a sweet shot from 25 yards that arcs over the Celta keeper.
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A couple of half-time changes: the ineffectual Alberto Paloschi is replaced by Madou Barrow for Swansea, while for Newcastle, Aleksandar Mitrovic is on for Emmanuel Riviére.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Aston Villa (Agüero)
Richards helps City out again, firing a clearance straight into Agüero’s shins. The ball richochets into the net, and the floodgates appear to have opened.
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GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Aston Villa (Touré)
Yes, they will. Fresh from a furious rollicking from Manuel Pellegrini, City take the lead through Yaya Touré, via a Micah Richards deflection. Tim Hill has more.
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As things stand, Chelsea are moving up to seventh. Will they notch yet another win over Stoke? Can Everton hang on, a goal up and a man down against West Ham? Can Newcastle save their season against Bournemouth? Will anything happen at Swansea? Will Manchester City ever score against Aston Villa? We’re about to find out.
Football’s most powerful man is at the Liberty Stadium:
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Simon McMahon has the full Scottish lowdown: “In the Scottish Cup it’s Ross County 1-0 Dundee United, and in the league it’s Hamilton 0-1 Motherwell and Hearts 1-0 Partick Thistle.”
Thanks, Simon. Over to Justin Kavanagh, who is bemoaning Steve McClaren’s bad luck: “poor old Schteve! His lack of luck reminds me of the words of a famous hurling legend (Nicky English, I think?) ‘If I had ducks, they’d drown!’”
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Bundesliga latest: Leverkusen are 3-1 down at Augsburg, Werder Bremen lead Hannover by the same score, while Schalke and Wolfsburg are hanging on to 2-1 leads against Köln and Gladbach respectively. In Spain, it’s Real Madrid 1-0 Celta Vigo at half time.
All the half-time scores and scorers are here.
Championship half-time scores
Brentford 1-1 Charlton
Derby 1-0 Huddersfield
Ipswich 0-0 Nottingham Forest
Leeds 1-0 Bolton
MK Dons 0-0 QPR
Preston 0-0 Brighton
Reading 2-1 Fulham
Sheffield Weds 0-1 Rotherham
Premier League half-time scores
Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City
Everton 1-0 West Ham
Manchester City 0-0 Aston Villa
Newcastle 0-1 Bournemouth
Southampton 0-0 Sunderland
Swansea 0-0 Norwich
Celta respond by breaking upfield and earning a free kick just outside the area - but Orellana’s effort is deflected over.
Derby lead Huddersfield thanks to Chris Martin’s opener, while Reading have turned it around at home to Fulham, with Hal Robson-Kanu getting his second goal. Oxford retake the lead at Plymouth, while at Elland Road, Mirco Antenucci has put the hosts ahead against Bolton.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Celta Vigo (Pepe)
After an uneventful first half so far, Pepe gives the hosts the lead, climbing at the back post to head home a corner.
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Another forward having a bad day is Wilfried Bony – he’s starting to annoy the home fans, missing a fair few chances as Aston Villa continue to shut Manchester City out.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Stoke (Traoré)
Bertrand Traoré continues his goalscoring run, collecting the ball on the edge of the area, spinning smartly and firing beyond Jack Butland.
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Diouf is picked out by Shaqiri, but fails to connect with his header. For Sunderland, Jack Rodwell has a chance six yards out, but flashes his volley wide! Chances getting missed all over the shop...
Penalty shout for the visitors at St. James’ Park, with Benik Afobe tumbling in the box. Paul Tierney is the man with the whistle, but he declines to give the penalty. Bournemouth very much on top, however.
Red card! Mirallas sent off for Everton!
Everton have been dominant, but that could change now after a brainless red card from Kevin Mirallas. The Belgian was booked for diving earlier, and lunges into a challenge on Aaron Cresswell to complete the job.
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Sunderland hit the post! Khazri’s looping free kick evades Fraser Forster, but clips the woodwork. Howlin’ Mad McClaren makes an early change, with Vurnon Anita replacing Paul Dummett. The defender may be injured, but that doesn’t stop St James’ Park giving McClaren an earful.
Frustration creeping in at the Bernabéu, with Danilo and Pepe both booked in quick succession, moments after Ronaldo is denied from a low, angled shot. West Ham are unhappy too, calling for a penalty after Ogbonna goes down under a Funes Mori challenge. Nothing given.
GOAL! Newcastle 0-1 Bournemouth (Taylor own goal)
I’m so sorry, Magpies fans. The hosts have had the better of things, but Josh King’s cross deflects off Steven Taylor and beyond Rob Elliot.
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Everton well on top against West Ham, with Ross Barkley forcing another save from Adrián as they look to double their lead. It’s quiet elsewhere, with Stoke’s midfield doing a decent job of subduing Chelsea so far. At St. Mary’s, Mané crosses for Pellè, who tees up Tadic – but his mishit shot is clawed away by Vito Mannone!
A goal in the Championship’s Yorkshire derby... from Matt Derbyshire. The Rotherham striker gives the Millers a surprise lead at playoff-chasing Sheffield Wednesday. Reading have levelled at home to Fulham, Brentford are level with Charlton, and in the Scottish Cup, it’s Ross County 1-0 Dundee United.
Bundesliga half-time scores:
Köln 1-2 Schalke
Augsburg 2-0 Leverkusen
Frankfurt 0-1 Ingolstadt
Stuttgart 2-0 Hoffenheim
Werder Bremen 2-1 Hannover
Wolfsburg 2-1 Gladbach
“Check out the peach that Claudio Pizarro scored for Werder Bremen to make it 2-0. Not bad for a 37 year old” says Mark Turner. He’s not wrong.
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Goals galore in League Two: Curtis Nelson has equalised for Plymouth, after Peter Hartley’s own goal had given Oxford an early lead. Northampton show no sign of slowing down, taking an early lead at Carlisle.
In League One, it’s Millwall 1-0 Blackpool, while Crewe have taken a shock lead over leaders Burton. Less surprising is the news that in-form Barnsley lead at stuttering Walsall: Ashley Fletcher scored the goal.
Wilfried Bony has missed a presentable chance for Manchester City, while Brad Guzan has saved well from Sergio Agüero as the hosts dominate possession. Don’t forget – Tim Hill has MBM coverage, right here.
GOAL! Everton 1-0 West Ham (Lukaku)
Romelu Lukaku has his eighth goal in eight games against West Ham! Oviedo slips the ball to the striker, who outmuscles Reece Oxford and finishes well from a narrow angle.
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Dimitri Payet, currently the most enjoyable player to watch in the Premier League, curls a shot just wide as West Ham get in the game. Southampton are on top in the early stages against Sunderland, but there’s barely been a half-chance. The same could be said of Swansea v Norwich, with Nathan Redmond’s curling free kick the closest either team has come in a nervous start.
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Real Madrid have set up camp in the Celta half, but no real breakthrough just yet. Max Gradel goes close for Bournemouth in what sounds like a predictably open start at Newcastle.
At Elland Road, fans held a mock funeral for their club ahead of kick-off, amidst ongoing struggles, on and off the field. It’s still goalless between Leeds and Bolton, while at the Madejski Stadium, Mousa Dembele has given Fulham a surprise lead over Reading.
Photograph: Paul Currie/BPI/REX/Shutterstock
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At Stamford Bridge, Bertrand Traoré has a great chance from an Azpilicueta cross, but he can’t get a telling touch. Everton are on the front foot at Goodison Park, with McCarthy forcing Adrián into a fine save from distance.
Newcastle start strongly, as Jonjo Shelvey sends a long-range shot whistling just wide. In the Championship, a rare moment of joy for Charlton fans – they lead Brentford thanks to a very, very early goal from Callum Harriott.
Earlier in the second tier, Burnley won the East Lancashire derby 1-0 against Blackburn, and Cardiff won the, er, Severn Bridge derby at Bristol City, 2-0.
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It’s almost time... so why not peruse Danny Taylor’s North London derby match report in the few seconds you have to wait?
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25 minutes gone in the six games under way in the Bundesliga, and there have been 10 goals already. Here’s the latest:
Köln 0-2 Schalke
Augsburg 1-0 Leverkusen
Frankfurt 0-1 Ingolstadt
Stuttgart 1-0 Hoffenheim
Werder Bremen 2-0 Hannover
Wolfsburg 2-1 Gladbach
Real Madrid team news...
Marcelo, Bale and James Rodriguez are all on the bench with Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Roma in mind, while Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are out with illness and injury.
Want to feel old? Rob Harker, on Bury’s bench today against Bradford, was born on 6th March 2000.
Football League preview
The Championship’s top three have all been in action already – Burnley and Boro won, Hull lost – so the focus is on the chasing pack. Brighton have battled back into the automatic promotion race, but face fellow form team Preston at Deepdale. Derby and Sheffield Wednesday, hosting Huddersfield and Rotherham, will fancy their chances of gaining ground if the Seagulls slip up. Elsewhere, don’t expect happy faces at Elland Road or Griffin Park, as Leeds host Bolton, and struggling Brentford play crisis club Charlton.
In League One, Crewe and Burton, separated by 45 miles and 38 points, meet at Gresty Road. Below the Brewers, second-placed Wigan face Peterborough, who have lost five in a row. Walsall, third but in scratchy form, host seventh-and-climbing Barnsley. At the bottom, Doncaster and Shrewsbury, both just above the red line, meet at the Keepmoat Stadium.
For a proper top-of-the-table clash, only League Two will do, as Oxford go to Plymouth. The two sides are, er, 2nd and 3rd, but the winner today can probably start planning for League One, along with runaway leaders Northampton, who travel to Carlisle. At the other end, the Football League’s two bottom clubs, Dagenham & Redbridge and York, meet at Victoria Road.
Don’t forget - you can see all this afternoon’s fixtures and latest scores here.
An interesting bit of news from Newcastle, where first-team players have released a collective statement in support of Steve McClaren. Here’s the full story:
Here’s Simon McMahon to preview the Scottish action:
Afternoon Niall. League and Cup action in Scotland today, with two Scottish Cup quarter finals being played, the pick of which is Dundee United’s trip to Dingwall to face Ross County. United won comfortably when the teams met in the league a week ago, giving them a much needed boost in their fight to avoid relegation, but expect a much tighter encounter today. Unlike the early kick off where Rangers of the Scottish Championship thrashed Premiership Dundee 4-0 to progress to the last four. There’s two games in the top flight – a Lanarkshire derby between Hamilton and Motherwell, and Hearts v Partick.
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Team news from Stamford Bridge
...where Chelsea are without a conventional centre-forward, with Diego Costa rested, and both Pato and Rémy on the bench. Impressive youngster Bertrand Traoré could lead the line ahead of Willian, Oscar and Eden Hazard, while Stoke have plenty of attacking options on the pitch, and on the bench.
Chelsea v Stoke
Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Rahman, Matic, Mikel, Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Traoré.
Subs: Begovic, Fàbregas, Pato, Rémy, Miazga, Loftus-Cheek, Clarke-Salter.
Stoke: Butland, Cameron, Wollscheid, Muniesa, Pieters, Whelan,
Imbula, Shaqiri, Afellay, Arnautovic, Diouf.
Subs: Ireland, Joselu, Walters, Teixeira, Crouch, Bojan, Haugaard.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
And finally, to Goodison Park, where we’re set for a battle of 3-5-2s, with Roberto Martínez starting three centre-backs to combat the winning formation Slaven Bilic deployed against Spurs.
Everton v West Ham
Everton: Robles, Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Funes Mori, Oviedo, Barkley, McCarthy, Mirallas, Lennon, Lukaku.
Subs: Baines, Niasse, Besic, Barry, Deulofeu, Osman, Howard.
West Ham: Adrian, Oxford, Kouyaté, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Noble, Obiang, Lanzini, Antonio, Payet, Emenike.
Subs: Randolph, Song, Carroll, Sakho, Henry, Hendrie, Dobson.
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Meanwhile, in the title race...
It’s Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal, with both teams managing to throw away winning positions. There’s fifteen minutes to go. Check in with Rob Smyth.
More team news
Newcastle v Bournemouth
Newcastle: Elliot, Janmaat, Taylor, Lascelles, Dummett, Shelvey, Colback, Sissoko, Perez, Wijnaldum, Rivière.
Subs: Anita, Gouffran, Aarons, Saivet, Darlow, Doumbia, Mitrovic.
Bournemouth: Boruc, Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Gradel, Afobe, King.
Subs: Elphick, Pugh, Federici, Distin, Murray, Grabban, O’Kane.
Referee: Paul Tierney
Southampton v Sunderland
Southampton: Forster, Martina, van Dijk, Fonte, Bertrand, Romeu, Clasie, Mané, Steven Davis, Tadic, Pellè.
Subs: Cedric, Yoshida, Ward-Prowse, Reed, Juanmi, Stekelenburg, Olomola.
Sunderland: Mannone, Yedlin, Kone, Kaboul, Van Aanholt, Kirchhoff, N’Doye, M’Vila, Rodwell, Khazri, Borini.
Subs: Jones, Larsson, Pickford, O’Shea, Defoe, Toivonen, Mandron.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
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Team news!
Starting at the Etihad Stadium, where Wilfried Bony makes a rare start, Raheem Sterling is on the bench, and Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott could be in for a long afternoon back at their old ground. Join Tim Hill for MBM coverage.
Manchester City v Aston Villa
Man City: Hart, Sagna, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy, Fernandinho, Touré, Navas, Silva, Bony, Aguero.
Subs: Zabaleta, Sterling, Kolarov, Caballero, Mangala, Iheanacho, Manu Garcia.
Aston Villa: Guzan, Richards, Lescott, Clark, Hutton, Gana, Westwood, Veretout, Cissokho, Agbonlahor, Ayew.
Subs: Okore, Bacuna, Sinclair, Gil, Bunn, Lyden, Gestede.
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)
At the Liberty Stadium, Alan Curtis remains in charge for today’s game, and makes six changes from the team that won at Arsenal. Alex Neil, feeling the need for a win, starts with Steven Naismith and Cameron Jerome up front.
Swansea v Norwich
Swansea: Fabianski, Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Cork, Britton, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Ayew, Paloschi.
Subs: Amat, Fer, Nordfeldt, Gomis, Montero, Naughton, Barrow.
Norwich: Ruddy, Ivo Pinto, Klose, Martin, Brady, Redmond, Howson, O’Neil, Hoolahan, Naismith, Jerome.
Subs: Mbokani, Bamford, Rudd, Jarvis, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Bennett.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
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On the continent
Real Madrid have 57 points from 28 La Liga games. In the Premier League, that would be good enough for top spot, but in Spain, they’re third in a 1.5 horse race. They face tricky customers today in sixth-placed Celta Vigo.
In the Bundesliga, there’s another frantic chase for Europe, with Wolfsburg in eighth hoping to close the gap on visitors Gladbach (4th) to two points. Sandwiched between those two, both Schalke and Leverkusen face tricky away trips, to Köln and Augsburg respectively (all 2.30pm kick-offs).
Finally, to Ligue 1, where PSG finally lost a game last week. The Parisians are still very much unbeaten at home, and play Montpellier at 4pm today, looking to extend that slender 23-point margin at the top.
Preamble
Hello. For the first time since mid-February, this weekend offers up a full top-flight fixture list, and while the mad, bad title race remains centre stage, there are other battles brewing elsewhere in the Premier League.
Between Manchester City in fourth and Everton in 11th, there are eight teams shoehorned into a nine-point gap, setting up a veritable Fury Road to Europe. Expect over-hyped, confusing full-throttle action until May, starting today, with six of the eight teams in action this afternoon.
City themselves will surely keep their noses in front against Aston Villa – but join Tim Hill to find out for sure. If they don’t, West Ham, seated in sixth place, could be in the top four tonight. To do so, they’ll have to overcome quite the hoodoo at Everton, having failed to beat the Toffees in their last 15 (FIFTEEN) league meetings.
Despite their best efforts, Everton aren’t quite out of the continental chase yet – and neither, a place and a point above them, are Chelsea – particularly if they can leapfrog seventh-placed Stoke with victory today. Both teams have won their last three, and Mark Hughes’ team, despite a poor record at the Bridge, beat Chelsea at home back in autumn. Then again, who didn’t?
Southampton have stalled but remain in the race, and welcome Sunderland. Big Sam reckons the survival battle is down to three teams, chasing 17th place. Norwich, who host Swansea, and Steve ‘Howlin’ Mad’ McClaren’s Newcastle, who play Bournemouth, still have a chance to change that, by reeling their opponents into the race to the bottom.
There’s also action in La Liga, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, and across the Football League – more on that in a moment. Cue exciting music!
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Niall will be along shortly for all your clockwatch needs.
